JKSA writes to HM Amit Shah, seeks intervention over unabated intimidation of Kashmiri students, shawl vendors in North India

Srinagar, Dec 31: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, sought his intervention over what it termed “alarming” incidents of intimidation, harassment, and targeted violence against Kashmiri students and traditional shawl vendors in various parts of northern India, which have continued to rise unabated over the past year, with Himachal Pradesh emerging as a “matter of particularly grave concern.”

In the letter, the JKSA writes that it has been closely monitoring these incidents and has consistently taken them up with the concerned state administrations. In several states, timely intervention by authorities helped ensure the safety of Kashmiri students and traders and facilitated redressal. However, Himachal Pradesh presents a deeply disturbing picture. Despite repeated representations, assurances, and interventions at multiple levels, incidents continue to recur with worrying regularity, while effective action on the ground has remained largely absent.

Sir, JKSA writes, this year alone has witnessed at least 18 incidents of assault, intimidation, and harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Himachal Pradesh. Yet, despite these repeated attacks, there has been little concrete action, no prompt or effective registration of FIRs in several cases, no visible arrests or deterrent measures, and no sustained effort to ensure the safety and confidence of affected communities. This reflects a complete failure to ensure the safety, dignity, and livelihood of thousands of Kashmiri shawl sellers who earn their living in the state through honest and traditional means. The continued inaction has emboldened miscreants and created an atmosphere of fear, where vulnerable traders are left at the mercy of mobs instead of being protected by the rule of law.

Many Kashmiri students and traders are presently living under constant fear and severe psychological distress. Alarmingly, several have been forced to leave the state, resulting in the disruption of education, loss of livelihood, and erosion of dignity. This is not merely administrative negligence; it reflects a serious lack of political will and moral responsibility to protect Kashmiri citizens, despite repeated assurances of harmony and justice, it writes.

Sir, these incidents carry consequences far beyond Himachal Pradesh. They risk deepening alienation, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, where people closely and anxiously observe how Kashmiri citizens are treated in the rest of the country. Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in Kashmir than repeated instances where innocent Kashmiris are targeted, threatened, or forced to flee while perpetrators go unpunished. Such developments undermine trust, weaken emotional integration, and harm long-term national interests, the letter reads.

It must be stated clearly and unequivocally that Kashmiris are not outsiders in India. They are equal citizens and an integral part of this country, entitled to the same rights, freedoms, dignity, and constitutional protections as any other Indian. Targeting innocent Kashmiri traders and forcing them out of cities only deepens alienation and mistrust. This is precisely what our hostile neighbour seeks; to sow internal division, fracture social cohesion, and weaken our national fabric. By allowing such harassment to continue unchecked, we risk inadvertently playing into their hands and undermining national unity, it reads.

Sir, acts of violence, intimidation, and communal hatred must not be allowed to become normalised. The rule of law must prevail, without fear or favour. India’s strength lies in its unity in diversity, and any assault on that spirit is an assault on the nation itself, writes JKSA.

Further, the JKSA writes that in view of the seriousness of the matter, we respectfully request your good office to seek a detailed report from the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh regarding all reported incidents over the past year, including the status of FIRs, arrests, prosecutions, and preventive measures taken. We further urge that clear directions be issued for immediate, time-bound action, strict enforcement of the law, fixing of accountability where lapses have occurred, and the implementation of credible security and monitoring mechanisms to protect Kashmiri students and traders across the state.

Your timely and decisive intervention will go a long way in restoring confidence among affected families, preventing further alienation, and reaffirming the Union Government’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the constitutional rights, dignity, and safety of every citizen, the letter concludes.